Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great printer for the money.
Comment: I have read the other reviews and wanted to throw my opinion in. We have purchased one of these printers at work. I have turned out some really nice stuff on them. However,...
The one reviewer who said that the artwork on the discs is flat is correct. It is dull compared to the brilliant colors on the glossy paper I use for the Jewel case inserts. Still it looks alot more professional than the stick on labels that were previously used. I haven't seen anyone mention the fact that it does only print to PRINTABLE CD/DVD's. Don't buy this thinking you are going to slip in the leftovers from that spindle you bought (unless you slap the label on first of course).
The printer does only print on cd/dvd's using the Epson software. Near as I can tell other label software assumes you are using a sheet of paper and use a software based template. That template is in a corner of where a sheet of paper would be. The Epson however, prints on a special disc tray that sits in the center. The two techniques seem incompatible. This was a little frustrating as the Epson software was limiting in the design aspect as it has poor support for graphic formats such as PNG or TGA with transparenies in them.
As a work around,I have been using roxio to design my discs then "save lable design as image file". Then I bring the finished image in and plunk it down in the Epson software. I'm certain you could do the same thing in Photoshop/Illustrator, if you had the proper template.
As for the travel play in the insert tray (try saying that 10 times fast), the Epson appears to use a system to calibrate the tray position at each printing (Infra-red I am guessing)
I have only had the printer for two weeks so I cannot attest to claims of track marks or other problems that some have claimed after having the printer for months.
Customer Rating:
Summary: So far, it's great!
Comment: Got this printer for a gift, without doing research on my own. What a thrill! Have had no trouble with ink as one reviewer said. Yes, it's expensive; it's not a toy. This is also not what I'd recommend if most of your printing is text. There are cheaper ways to send your 2000-page first novel to fifty relatives. This is THE ONE Professional photogs use for archival prints. It's NOT an ink jet printer, this ink is made of pigments, not dyes, and will not fade when used with the premier line of Epson photo papers. It prints cds perfectly, and I'm using old cheap ones with the stick on labels to clean out my supply rather than buy the printable ones. The programs for those never got right on the margins like this Epson R800 does. I did have just one photo that came out too red. It was a red toned pic of roses and the whole thing printed ruddy. But, that's adjustable with the Adobe photoshop CS software, and every other photo I've done has magnificent color and brilliant resolution. It's a keeper. I'm just a beginner as a photographer, but this makes me look good.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Awesome printer.
Comment: I can't believe how great my pictures are...
This is a top notch photo printer. I've waited and read a lot before buying this puppy but I couldn't be happier.
I'm stunned at the few negative comments here. They're probably coming from people using cheap compatible ink cartriges and non-Epson paper.
You can't go wrong. Go ahead and buy the R800.
Customer Rating:
Summary: R800 is unreliable, too expensive & variable quality
Comment: This is my second--and last--Epson printer. I've had this junk since July, 2004.
I would have bought a Canon or an HP this time around but bought the R800 Epson (the stinkin' four HUNDRED dollar Epson) for one reason: it prints directly onto DVDs. The tipping point to decide on the $400 model? It has pigment inks that will last longer...IF THE INK EVER DECIDED TO COME OUT AND ONTO THE PAPER. But I'm yelling.
Because I have had so many failed prints, I lost interest in printing and the printer sits idle and unused most of the time. Thus the print heads dry and clog up. I can't tell you how much ink (at $95 per complete cartridge set replacement cost) I have wasted in bad prints because the printer heads malfunctioned or the color came out wrong.
At first the print quality was stunning. Then it simply started printing too red. I contacted Epson "support" (what a joke) who eventually said they were having problems with the SP2 XP upgrade messing with the Epson driver. I downloaded the new driver. Still way too red. Flesh tone came out bright red and over saturated. It was so frustrating I simply quit printing and decided to take my Nikon D70's files to a photo finisher. Faster, cheaper and more reliable.
Believe me, don't bother with a printer if you think 1) it's cheaper or 2) faster. It's neither. And it's not even better in quality depending on how good your photo finisher is. A good color photo will last longer than any inkjet print. More durable and water resistant, too.
But I bought the R800 so I could print onto DVDs.
So tonight, knowing I had not used it in weeks, I wisely ran the Print Head Utility and verified that the heads were cleaned and unclogged (wasting yet more precious ink in the process). I then printed out a passably good DVD. Don't think it's anything to write home about: the print quality on a printable CD or DVD is not anywhere near glossy photo paper. Photo printing onto a DVD is dull and flat...not very exciting at all. But at least it's not on peel-and-stick label paper.
I printed a second DVD right away. True to form, even after the head cleaning routine, the black head cloged half way through printing and the lower half of the DVD is shot. Thanks again Epson. Even after the head cleaning routine (that takes about five minutes) it fails again and ruins a $1.50 printable 8x DVD. It's done this to many pieces of high quality glossy photo paper, too, wasting ink, paper, money and time. What a piece of garbage.
And it happens again and again. I just want to scream. And Epson support is nowhere to be found.
And just try figuring out all the color settings. Good luck. Let's see, under Color Management in print setup, should I use Color Controls, PhotoEnhance or ICM mode? If I use the ICC/ICM profile, should I select "off" or "applied by Printer Software"? What's the difference and when does one use which setting? Who knows? I dare you to find the documentation that even explains the sttings, much less actually helps you make a good print the first time.
Now, if you don't mind printing three or four to get one, go for it. And keep your wallet out. Those massive .5cc "tanks" (that should more accurately be called thimbles) empty faster than you can say "Replace Ink Tanks for $95." I love the way Epson puts a sales web link right in the print window titled "Buy Ink" so you can go straight to the Epson site and plunk down full price plus shipping for more ink that will clog and be blown out the head cleaning utility, and then clog anyway.
If you have to buy an Epson, don't waste your money on the R800. Get the $100 model R200. That way when you throw it away it won't hurt so bad.
Never Epson again.
Customer Rating:
Summary: No problems here...
Comment: An earlier reveiw trashed this printer listing several specific complaints/problems he/she's had including a bad experience with Epson's tech support. I've been using the R800 for about a month now and have no complaints about this well built machine. My CD/DVD printing experience has been very positive and I have several beauitifully rendered disks to prove it. I've not only used Epson's included CD printing software, but have tried, with success, several other 3rd party CD/DVD printing software applications. All worked very well. I have used the printer on both the USB and the Firewire ports with equal success - I prefer the Firewire connection because I think it's a little faster. Photos and text print very well on plain or photo paper also. I really don't have any complaints about this printer. And tech support ( I had a question about some of the print set-up instructions in the manual) was helpful - and free. After about a 5-minute phone wait, I received friendly and helpful assistance.
I'd recommend this printer to a friend.
Summary: Great printer for the money.
Comment: I have read the other reviews and wanted to throw my opinion in. We have purchased one of these printers at work. I have turned out some really nice stuff on them. However,...
The one reviewer who said that the artwork on the discs is flat is correct. It is dull compared to the brilliant colors on the glossy paper I use for the Jewel case inserts. Still it looks alot more professional than the stick on labels that were previously used. I haven't seen anyone mention the fact that it does only print to PRINTABLE CD/DVD's. Don't buy this thinking you are going to slip in the leftovers from that spindle you bought (unless you slap the label on first of course).
The printer does only print on cd/dvd's using the Epson software. Near as I can tell other label software assumes you are using a sheet of paper and use a software based template. That template is in a corner of where a sheet of paper would be. The Epson however, prints on a special disc tray that sits in the center. The two techniques seem incompatible. This was a little frustrating as the Epson software was limiting in the design aspect as it has poor support for graphic formats such as PNG or TGA with transparenies in them.
As a work around,I have been using roxio to design my discs then "save lable design as image file". Then I bring the finished image in and plunk it down in the Epson software. I'm certain you could do the same thing in Photoshop/Illustrator, if you had the proper template.
As for the travel play in the insert tray (try saying that 10 times fast), the Epson appears to use a system to calibrate the tray position at each printing (Infra-red I am guessing)
I have only had the printer for two weeks so I cannot attest to claims of track marks or other problems that some have claimed after having the printer for months.
Customer Rating:
Summary: So far, it's great!
Comment: Got this printer for a gift, without doing research on my own. What a thrill! Have had no trouble with ink as one reviewer said. Yes, it's expensive; it's not a toy. This is also not what I'd recommend if most of your printing is text. There are cheaper ways to send your 2000-page first novel to fifty relatives. This is THE ONE Professional photogs use for archival prints. It's NOT an ink jet printer, this ink is made of pigments, not dyes, and will not fade when used with the premier line of Epson photo papers. It prints cds perfectly, and I'm using old cheap ones with the stick on labels to clean out my supply rather than buy the printable ones. The programs for those never got right on the margins like this Epson R800 does. I did have just one photo that came out too red. It was a red toned pic of roses and the whole thing printed ruddy. But, that's adjustable with the Adobe photoshop CS software, and every other photo I've done has magnificent color and brilliant resolution. It's a keeper. I'm just a beginner as a photographer, but this makes me look good.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Awesome printer.
Comment: I can't believe how great my pictures are...
This is a top notch photo printer. I've waited and read a lot before buying this puppy but I couldn't be happier.
I'm stunned at the few negative comments here. They're probably coming from people using cheap compatible ink cartriges and non-Epson paper.
You can't go wrong. Go ahead and buy the R800.
Customer Rating:
Summary: R800 is unreliable, too expensive & variable quality
Comment: This is my second--and last--Epson printer. I've had this junk since July, 2004.
I would have bought a Canon or an HP this time around but bought the R800 Epson (the stinkin' four HUNDRED dollar Epson) for one reason: it prints directly onto DVDs. The tipping point to decide on the $400 model? It has pigment inks that will last longer...IF THE INK EVER DECIDED TO COME OUT AND ONTO THE PAPER. But I'm yelling.
Because I have had so many failed prints, I lost interest in printing and the printer sits idle and unused most of the time. Thus the print heads dry and clog up. I can't tell you how much ink (at $95 per complete cartridge set replacement cost) I have wasted in bad prints because the printer heads malfunctioned or the color came out wrong.
At first the print quality was stunning. Then it simply started printing too red. I contacted Epson "support" (what a joke) who eventually said they were having problems with the SP2 XP upgrade messing with the Epson driver. I downloaded the new driver. Still way too red. Flesh tone came out bright red and over saturated. It was so frustrating I simply quit printing and decided to take my Nikon D70's files to a photo finisher. Faster, cheaper and more reliable.
Believe me, don't bother with a printer if you think 1) it's cheaper or 2) faster. It's neither. And it's not even better in quality depending on how good your photo finisher is. A good color photo will last longer than any inkjet print. More durable and water resistant, too.
But I bought the R800 so I could print onto DVDs.
So tonight, knowing I had not used it in weeks, I wisely ran the Print Head Utility and verified that the heads were cleaned and unclogged (wasting yet more precious ink in the process). I then printed out a passably good DVD. Don't think it's anything to write home about: the print quality on a printable CD or DVD is not anywhere near glossy photo paper. Photo printing onto a DVD is dull and flat...not very exciting at all. But at least it's not on peel-and-stick label paper.
I printed a second DVD right away. True to form, even after the head cleaning routine, the black head cloged half way through printing and the lower half of the DVD is shot. Thanks again Epson. Even after the head cleaning routine (that takes about five minutes) it fails again and ruins a $1.50 printable 8x DVD. It's done this to many pieces of high quality glossy photo paper, too, wasting ink, paper, money and time. What a piece of garbage.
And it happens again and again. I just want to scream. And Epson support is nowhere to be found.
And just try figuring out all the color settings. Good luck. Let's see, under Color Management in print setup, should I use Color Controls, PhotoEnhance or ICM mode? If I use the ICC/ICM profile, should I select "off" or "applied by Printer Software"? What's the difference and when does one use which setting? Who knows? I dare you to find the documentation that even explains the sttings, much less actually helps you make a good print the first time.
Now, if you don't mind printing three or four to get one, go for it. And keep your wallet out. Those massive .5cc "tanks" (that should more accurately be called thimbles) empty faster than you can say "Replace Ink Tanks for $95." I love the way Epson puts a sales web link right in the print window titled "Buy Ink" so you can go straight to the Epson site and plunk down full price plus shipping for more ink that will clog and be blown out the head cleaning utility, and then clog anyway.
If you have to buy an Epson, don't waste your money on the R800. Get the $100 model R200. That way when you throw it away it won't hurt so bad.
Never Epson again.
Customer Rating:
Summary: No problems here...
Comment: An earlier reveiw trashed this printer listing several specific complaints/problems he/she's had including a bad experience with Epson's tech support. I've been using the R800 for about a month now and have no complaints about this well built machine. My CD/DVD printing experience has been very positive and I have several beauitifully rendered disks to prove it. I've not only used Epson's included CD printing software, but have tried, with success, several other 3rd party CD/DVD printing software applications. All worked very well. I have used the printer on both the USB and the Firewire ports with equal success - I prefer the Firewire connection because I think it's a little faster. Photos and text print very well on plain or photo paper also. I really don't have any complaints about this printer. And tech support ( I had a question about some of the print set-up instructions in the manual) was helpful - and free. After about a 5-minute phone wait, I received friendly and helpful assistance.
I'd recommend this printer to a friend.
Epson Stylus Photo R800 Inkjet Printer Reviews: Page 9 of 14
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